It was a major face-off between Northern and South East senators on Tuesday over the deployment of troops to the South East by the Federal Government for security operations, which led to a clash with the agitators for the Republic of Biafra.
Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, led by Nnamdi Kanu, had a clash with the military in Abia State, which led to the disruption of economic and social activities.
At a close door session on Tuesday in the National Assembly, senators from the South East and the North clashed over the propriety of deploying the troops.
While the Northern senators commended the Federal Government for the deployment of soldiers to the region, the South East senators condemned the move.
Multiple sources the spoke with our correspondent revealed that most Northern senators were angry with the statement credited to the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, deploring the labelling of IPOB as a terrorist group and the deployment of troops to the South East.
Many Northern senators who spoke at the closed door session said the deployment of soldiers in the South East was necessary to protect some of their people residing in Igboland allegedly being killed by members of IPOB on daily basis.
Senators from the South West at the closed session reportedly said it is impossible for the Senate to stop the Nigerian Army from carrying out its mandate to secure the country.
Addressing newsmen at the end of plenary session, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the Senate took the resolutions in view of all manner of agitations in the land and the need for the agitators to carry out their actions within the provisions of the Nation’s constitution.
Abdullahi said: “At the executive session, the Senate made an holistic view of prevailing situations in the land as regards secessionist agitation of the now proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, the one on restructuring by some Nigerians across the country and security issues generally and came up with those resolutions in line with provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“We did this because as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we all swore to protect, defend and uphold the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“So anybody or group coming up with any form of agitations, to us, must route it within the confines of the law.”
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